Pigskin Picks: Loyalties can be put to the test

Published: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 11:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 11:02 p.m.

When we pledge our loyalty to something, sometimes that leaves us making decisions or formulating thoughts concerning said things that fall far short of logical thinking.

Take, for instance, my loyalty to Carolina (yes, NORTH Carolina) football Thursday night. The unranked Tar Heels going up against No. 6 South Carolina, the highest-ranked season opening opponent since No. 3 Oklahoma in 2001.

What were the odds? It wasn't logical to think the North would defeat the South, especially in Gamecock country. But still, I sat glued to the TV hoping for any bleak sign of a winning chance.

That's the same kind of optimism and blind loyalty I would say parents, coaches and players from North Henderson had Friday night going into their game against a proven 4-A opponent.

Most everyone else would have scoffed at the thought of the Knights outright beating T.C. Roberson, especially coming off a 2-9 record last year, but the final scores last week would've left those scoffers with raised eyebrows.

I think it's safe to say that we had some big surprises on Friday.

And I'd say Zack Gahagan led the biggest of them all.

In the preseason I heard several area coaches as well as people close to prep sports say that he was probably the best returning quarterback in Western North Carolina. I thought that might be a little far-fetched, but in his senior season performance debut as the Knights lost by just a hair to T.C. Roberson (22-20), it might just be accurate.

Gahagan's 284 passing yards and two touchdowns — it's good to have athletes like Corey Foster and Tucker Garren on your side — against Roberson speaks for itself, whether it's the first game of the season or the last.

Back to this week, we have two very familiar opponents going head-to-head over in Canton: Pisgah head coach Brett Chappell and Enka head coach Jeff Frady, who coached side-by-side at East Henderson for eight seasons before taking on new challenges this year.

Former head coach versus his former hand-picked offensive coordinator. Talk about interesting.

* * *

Last week: 12-4

Season: 12-4

Games back: Two

West Henderson at Hendersonville

The Bearcats get to play host for their second straight game, and after a tough second-half loss to Asheville last week, they will be chomping at the bit to put up win No. 1. ... HENDERSONVILLE, 28-13.

East Henderson at Robbinsville

Getting shut out in the first game of the season left a bad taste in the Eagles' mouths all week. ... EAST, 20-14.

Brevard at Owen

The Blue Devils put up a good fight in the reawakening of the Brevard-Rosman rivalry, but the Warhorses won't show any mercy tonight at home. ... OWEN, 34-20.

Thomas Jefferson at Rosman

High off their big rivalry win over Brevard last week, the Tigers will make their record an easy 2-0 tonight. ... ROSMAN, 33-12.

Polk County at Asheville

The Cougars admittedly had trouble getting their offense going last week against Hendersonville, but those kinks should've gotten a bit more ironed out this week in practice as they face Polk for the first time since 1995. ... ASHEVILLE, 27-22.

<p>When we pledge our loyalty to something, sometimes that leaves us making decisions or formulating thoughts concerning said things that fall far short of logical thinking. </p><p>Take, for instance, my loyalty to Carolina (yes, NORTH Carolina) football Thursday night. The unranked Tar Heels going up against No. 6 South Carolina, the highest-ranked season opening opponent since No. 3 Oklahoma in 2001. </p><p>What were the odds? It wasn't logical to think the North would defeat the South, especially in Gamecock country. But still, I sat glued to the TV hoping for any bleak sign of a winning chance. </p><p>That's the same kind of optimism and blind loyalty I would say parents, coaches and players from North Henderson had Friday night going into their game against a proven 4-A opponent. </p><p>Most everyone else would have scoffed at the thought of the Knights outright beating T.C. Roberson, especially coming off a 2-9 record last year, but the final scores last week would've left those scoffers with raised eyebrows. </p><p>I think it's safe to say that we had some big surprises on Friday. </p><p>And I'd say Zack Gahagan led the biggest of them all. </p><p>In the preseason I heard several area coaches as well as people close to prep sports say that he was probably the best returning quarterback in Western North Carolina. I thought that might be a little far-fetched, but in his senior season performance debut as the Knights lost by just a hair to T.C. Roberson (22-20), it might just be accurate. </p><p>Gahagan's 284 passing yards and two touchdowns — it's good to have athletes like Corey Foster and Tucker Garren on your side — against Roberson speaks for itself, whether it's the first game of the season or the last. </p><p>Back to this week, we have two very familiar opponents going head-to-head over in Canton: Pisgah head coach Brett Chappell and Enka head coach Jeff Frady, who coached side-by-side at East Henderson for eight seasons before taking on new challenges this year. </p><p>Former head coach versus his former hand-picked offensive coordinator. Talk about interesting. </p><p>* * *</p><p>Last week: 12-4 </p><p>Season: 12-4 </p><p>Games back: Two</p><p>West Henderson at Hendersonville</p><p>The Bearcats get to play host for their second straight game, and after a tough second-half loss to Asheville last week, they will be chomping at the bit to put up win No. 1. ... HENDERSONVILLE, 28-13. </p><p>East Henderson at Robbinsville </p><p>Getting shut out in the first game of the season left a bad taste in the Eagles' mouths all week. ... EAST, 20-14. </p><p>Brevard at Owen</p><p>The Blue Devils put up a good fight in the reawakening of the Brevard-Rosman rivalry, but the Warhorses won't show any mercy tonight at home. ... OWEN, 34-20. </p><p>Thomas Jefferson at Rosman</p><p>High off their big rivalry win over Brevard last week, the Tigers will make their record an easy 2-0 tonight. ... ROSMAN, 33-12. </p><p>Polk County at Asheville</p><p>The Cougars admittedly had trouble getting their offense going last week against Hendersonville, but those kinks should've gotten a bit more ironed out this week in practice as they face Polk for the first time since 1995. ... ASHEVILLE, 27-22. </p><p>Other games</p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. ROBERSON at Tuscola</p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL</p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN</p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN COUNTY </p><p>ERWIN at Mountain Heritage</p><p>A.C. REYNOLDS at Shelby</p><p>Enka at PISGAH</p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL</p><p>Joey Millwood </p><p>Last week: 14-2 </p><p>Season: 14-2 </p><p>Games back: None </p><p>West Henderson at HENDERSONVILLE</p><p>EAST HENDERSONVILLE at Robbinsville</p><p>Brevard at OWEN</p><p>Thomas Jefferson at ROSMAN</p><p>POLK COUNTY at Asheville</p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. ROBERSON at Tuscola</p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL</p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN</p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN</p><p>Erwin at MOUNTAIN HERITAGE</p><p>A.C. Reynolds at SHELBY</p><p>Enka at PISGAH</p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL</p><p>Dennis Little </p><p>Last week: 14-2 </p><p>Season: 14-2 </p><p>Games back: None </p><p>West Henderson at HENDERSONVILLE </p><p>East Henderson at ROBBINSVILLE </p><p>Brevard at OWEN </p><p>Thomas Jefferson at ROSMAN </p><p>Polk County at ASHEVILLE </p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. ROBERSON at Tuscola </p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL </p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN </p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN COUNTY </p><p>ERWIN at Mountain Heritage </p><p>A.C. Reynolds at SHELBY</p><p>Enka at PISGAH </p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL</p><p>Mike Morgan </p><p>Last week: 14-2 </p><p>Season: 14-2 </p><p>Games back: None </p><p>West Henderson at HENDERSONVILLE</p><p>EAST HENDERSON at Robbinsville </p><p>Brevard at OWEN</p><p>Thomas Jefferson at ROSMAN</p><p>Polk County at ASHEVILLE</p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. ROBERSON at Tuscola </p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL</p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN</p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN</p><p>ERWINat Mountain Heritage </p><p>A.C. Reynolds at SHELBY</p><p>Enka at PISGAH</p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL</p><p>Dean Hensley</p><p>Last week: 13-3 </p><p>Season: 13-3 </p><p>Games back: One </p><p>West Henderson at HENDERSONVILLE</p><p>EAST HENDERSON at Robbinsville </p><p>Brevard at OWEN</p><p>Thomas Jefferson at ROSMAN</p><p>Polk County at ASHEVILLE</p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. Roberson at TUSCOLA</p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL</p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN</p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN COUNTY</p><p>ERWIN at Mountain Heritage </p><p>A.C. Reynolds at SHELBY</p><p>Enka at PISGAH</p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL </p><p>Ron Wagner </p><p>Last week: 13-3 </p><p>Season: 13-3</p><p>Games back: One </p><p>West Henderson at HENDERSONVILLE</p><p>EAST HENDERSON at Robbinsville </p><p>Brevard at OWEN</p><p>Thomas Jefferson at ROSMAN</p><p>Polk County at ASHEVILLE</p><p>North Buncombe at MADISON</p><p>T.C. ROBERSON at Tuscola </p><p>Avery County at MCDOWELL</p><p>Murphy at FRANKLIN</p><p>Smoky Mountain at SWAIN COUNTY</p><p>ERWIN at Mountain Heritage </p><p>A.C. Reynolds at SHELBY</p><p>Enka at PISGAH</p><p>Rabun Gap (Ga.) at CHRIST SCHOOL</p>